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Internet groups urge US court to reinstate net neutrality rules

A coalition of trade groups representing companies including Alphabet, Facebook, and Amazon, urged a US appeals court to reinstate landmark “network neutrality” rules adopted in 2015 to guarantee an open internet. In a legal filing, the Internet Association, Entertainment Software Association, Computer & Communications Industry Association, and Writers Guild of America West urged the reversal of the Federal Communications Commission's decision under Chairman Ajit Pai to overturn the rules in December. “Rules regulating the conduct of (internet providers) continue to be needed to protect and promote an open internet,” the groups wrote in a brief filed with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The internet groups harshly criticized the FCC repeal and questioned its legal basis. The brief calls the FCC’s decision “unreasoned and unreasonable” and says its “flawed analysis runs counter to the record and departs from the (FCC’s) previous factual findings without explanation.” The groups also reject the FCC’s argument that enhanced transparency will allow market forces to ensure consumer access to an open internet. “It is irrational to think that transparency regarding ISP practices alone can protect net neutrality for the millions of consumers who cannot switch providers; they must either accept their ISPs’ disclosed traffic management practices or go without internet access,” the internet groups wrote.